1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to water quality treatment, and more particularly to a system for controlling the delivery of disinfecting substances to multiple destinations.
2. Background of the Invention
Disinfection is generally known as any preparation that destroys the causes of infection. The most powerful disinfectants are oxidizing agents and chlorinated phenols. Among the many uses for such disinfectants is the treatment of water. Applications include, but are not limited to, aquaculture, potable water treatment, waster water treatment and the like. In many of these applications, multiple concurrent processes must be disinfected simultaneously. For example, in aquaculture, different sized fish tanks, each containing different species of fish may have distinct requirements for disinfection. A certain concentration of disinfectant that is optimum for one process may be detrimental to another process.
Ozone is commonly used to disinfect water. Ozone is produced by the action of ultraviolet radiation or electrical corona discharge on oxygen or air. It is a powerful oxidizing agent for disinfecting bodies of water. Ozone is known in the art to clean water for various uses. A drawback in the prior art has been the high overhead in maintaining an ozone generator for each individual tank or process. In 1992, David L. LaBonne and Perry Hampton described a xe2x80x9cDesign and Practical Application of Unique Ozone Treatment System with Multiple Aquatic Exhibitsxe2x80x9d at the Third International Symposium of the Use of Ozone in Aquatic Systems in Greenwich, Conn. The LaBonne presentation described a single ozone generating unit applied to multiple processes via an ozone splitter manifold. Two-way valves to each process are closed or opened responsive to ozone levels monitored at each process. Excess ozone is then sent to an ozone destruct unit.
The LaBonne system advanced the art by providing a means to employ the efficiency and simplicity of maintaining a single ozone-generating unit to feed multiple processes. However, closing the valve of one process led to an ozone spike in other processes before the entire system pressure could be recalibrated and equalized.
What is needed in the art is a multi-process disinfectant delivery system that employs a single disinfectant source yet avoid disinfectant spikes and pressure fluctuations due to adjustments to individual processes.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed.
However, in view of the prior art in at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified needs could be fulfilled.
The present invention is a multi-process water treatment system including a manifold and a disinfectant source adapted to supply a substantially continuous flow of disinfectant to the manifold. The disinfectant may include, but is not limited to, ozone, cholorine, or the like. A plurality of water treatment processes are fluidly coupled to the manifold. The water treatment processes may include fish farming, hydroponics, laundry processes, swimming pool treatment, machinery cleaning waste water, car wash water recycling, or the like. A plurality of sensor means are provided, each sensor means coupled to a water treatment process, the sensor means adapted to communicate data representative of the concentration of the disinfectant present in each water treatment process. The sensor means may be adapted to detect pH levels, ozone levels, chlorine level, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), or the like.
A central controller means adapted to receive data from the plurality of sensor means is provided. A disinfectant discharge conduit is provided. A three-way diverting valve disposed in fluid communication between each branch of the manifold and each water treatment process is communicatively coupled to the central controller. The valve having a first position wherein disinfectant is delivered to the water treatment process and a second position wherein disinfectant is delivered to the disinfectant discharge conduit.
Preferably, a flow meter is disposed downstream from the three-way diverting valve and is adjustably linked to the central controller means. The flow meter offers fine adjustment of gas flow, and emergency shut off of disinfectant to any process.
In the operation of the invention, the three-way diverting valve for a first process is switched by the central controller means from the first position to the second position responsive to data received from the sensor means indicating a predetermined disinfectant concentration has been achieved in the first process. The disinfectant originally supplied to the first process is then sent to the disinfectant discharge conduit thereby maintaining a consistent pressure in the system for disinfectant delivery to other processes.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a multi-process water treatment system that can provide a consistent and regular flow of disinfectant to multiple processes from a single disinfectant source.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the general description, serve to explain principles of the present invention.
These and other important objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become clear as this description proceeds.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the description set forth hereinafter and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.